‘Our mum is a bit worried about it actually and she’s asked me to find out more and I don’t quite know how best to handle it.’
‘Because you don’t have any experience in… what did you call it? A “situation”?’
‘Situationship.’
‘What is that exactly?’
‘You don’t know?’
‘Is it a social media thing?’ Jacques asked. ‘Because I don’t have that.’
‘You don’t have social media?’
‘No.’
Orla couldn’t believe it. She had never met anyone who didn’t have some form of account even if they no longer used it. If she made a connection online she automatically made sure to check the person out in other places to see if things matched up. It was common sense to be safe.
‘Not even Facebook?’
‘Why is that hard to believe?’
‘Because it’s 2024. Because how do you communicate with people?’
‘I call them. I send them a text message. Sometimes I write a letter.’
‘You write a letter?!’
She was in shock. And now she could not get Noah fromThe Notebookout of her head…
‘So a “situationship” is what? A romantic connection?’
‘Um, well, yes, it’s like an online relationship where you talk a lot, like every day, and then you might move it on to meeting the person in real life.’
‘So like having a partner.’
‘Well, yes… but no… because, you know, you haven’t established that yet.’
He stopped walking and looked at her, his expression suggesting that he didn’t really understand what she was saying. ‘Messaging someone a lot, every day, meeting up with them but you’re not boyfriend or girlfriend.’
Orla nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Because no one has asked that question?’
‘Mainly.’
‘But why does no one ask the question?’
‘Because they’re too scared to ruin what they have.’
Perhaps she had answered too quickly. She had to remember she was talking about this from the perspective of Erin not herself. She had never asked Henry any of those questions.What is this? Are we exclusive? Do you talk to other girls too?But, then, he had never asked her either.
‘I wish to go back in this conversation and not know what this thing is.’ He started to walk again.
‘Well, that’s just how dating is these days,’ Orla said, following.
‘But how can you say it is dating when it’s only talking via social media most of the time?’
‘I… don’t know.’
